Overhauling the United Nations

Circle July 8 on the calendar. That’s when a key organizer of an inspiring plan to overhaul the United Nations will be speaking in Vancouver.

Most folks would welcome a new approach to world governance, something to improve upon the highly imperfect UN system that exists now, whereby reps of a broad assortment of dictators and demagogues are left to help make global decisions with votes that carry just as much weight as diplomats who represent advanced democracies.

That means that countries like Ahmadinejad’s Iran or Mugabe’s Zimbabwe have as much say on matters of international importance as nations like Canada.

Those who put stock in ‘the common sense of the common people’ might wish to embrace the network of parliamentarians and non-governmental organizations who are advocating a plan for more direct representation of citizens at the UN.

It is without question that, in terms of global governance, the people of Syria, for example, might be more worth listening to than the UN guy currently representing Bashar al-Assad’s government.

Among those politicians in Canada supporting such a democratization of global governance are Conservative Senator Hugh Segal, Conservative MP for Edmonton Laurie Hawn, Interim Liberal Leader Bob Rae and Liberal Papineau MP Justin Trudeau. They are among a total of 74 parliamentarians who have given their backing to the project.

The UNPA (United Nations Parliamentary Assembly) organization, based in Germany, initially would like to see a consultative parliamentary assembly as “a practical first step towards establishing a directly elected world parliament with co-decision powers over the UN system.”

The campaign’s secretary general, Andreas Brummel, is scheduled to be in Vancouver on Sunday, July 8 to give a presentation from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. on the reform initiative. The location: Hewett Centre, Unitarian Church, 949 West 49th Ave, near Oak Street. For more information: lkazdan@shaw.ca.